Author: Cuts from The Corner

An ugly win is still a win, which you’ll take in ACC play, especially against FSU, whose size and style of play have given us fits in recent years, even when they’re down. In fact, we’d lost 4 of our last 5 games against Leonard Hamilton’s squad. Their record and some of their bad losses…

What. A. Game! This is the kind of character win that can help shape a team’s resilience and mental toughness over the span of a season. A true road game against a talented opponent who made the Sweet 16 last year, with some unique pieces that offered mismatches (more on this later). Our best player…

Alright, this is going to be a relatively shorter one of these without as much video, both because I just have the condensed game for this one and because there isn’t as much to take away. Maryland-Eastern Shore didn’t start anyone over 6’5″ and just wasn’t any kind of representation of any team we’ll likely…

Let’s pick up right where we left off after showing out against the tournament favorite, facing off against a talented Illinois team who just staged a strong comeback against UCLA, and whose fanbase packed T-Mobile Stadium. This had the feeling of a true road game, with stakes. One which we closed out with a 13-0…

What a weekend! I was able to get out there to see this one in person, the first game with the family and the second courtside. I was contemplating how to format this since my initial observations were in person and I’ve re-watched the coverage after the fact. I think the best way is to…

Note: I finished writing this last night before hearing about the shooting on grounds. Not pushing it out as it’s not important right now, just keeping it here for posterity. Sickened to hear about the news and will be sending thoughts and love to the community from a couple of hours north. Much more convincing…

After each game this season I (hope) to provide one of these. You’re used to seeing recaps and analysis of what happened in the games from any number of outlets. My goal for these is going to be a little bit different. I’m going to highlight a handful of things that I liked or didn’t…

In my recent entry previewing the season, I wrote that Beekman and Shedrick were our best players last year and that, for us to reach out ceiling, we would need both to take a developmental leap, especially on the offensive end of the ball. This generated some discussion as I think most UVa fans thought…

Well, everyone, the season is less than a month away, the Blue-White scrimmage is on our doorstep, and I’ve been plugged into the CTB interview circuit as well as a gamut of podcasts, polls, etc. That time has come to start focusing on the upcoming year – what we’re hearing, expectation setting, and what likely…

Both excitement and relief seemed to surge through most of the fanbase on Wednesday as 6’3″ Elijah Gertrude, one of the fastest risers in the 2023 class (#36 overall on 247 Sports, #3 ranked SG), committed to wear the (hopefully) orange and blue. The relief came on the heels of the respective London Johnson and…

What a week! There were pictures of breathtaking scenery, architecture, and food. Hoos fans were living vicariously through the first-hand accounts abroad and, oh yeah, there was also basketball. In their first time playing against international competition, the team developed chemistry with some old and new faces, potentially experienced some over-confidence beating up on lesser…

That’s Armaan Franklin, previously having been 1-9 from the field, with his former team tied against Luka Garza’s #8 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes. Despite his previous shooting, the Hoosiers’ final play was to give him the ball, clear out, set a ball screen, and let him go to work. And go to work he did, threatening…

Over the weekend, 6’8″ Ohio PF Ben Vander Plas, who may already have spent plenty of time on grounds within the headspace of its student body (Sam Hauser, especially), announced he would be transferring to UVa for his Super Senior season. The writing seemed to be on the wall for this one given all of…

This one felt different, didn’t it? I’ve been digesting this for the past couple of days and thought I’d just jot a few thoughts. It was hard to parse all of the rumors and rumblings on Thursday. Allegedly, high 4-star PG London Johnson, Virginia’s top recruiting target in the class of 2023 and presumed lock…

Today I’m going to try to tackle one of the most, if not the most, polarizing topics in the post championship era of UVa hoops; Kihei Clark, his role on the team, and his potential return to the program for a 5th year. This is easily the biggest unknown of the entire offseason and will…

This may have been a nod, and certainly was informative, to the ongoing discussion throughout the year about why these three players were not seeing much playing time and, eventually, were mostly phased out of the rotation altogether. Specifically, there has been much hand wringing, from myself included, about none of them cracking the line…